AMEBICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
109 
somewhat resembles the White Pine, hav¬ 
ing a more slender foliage, of a livelier 
and brighter green. It is a new pine, but is 
coming into general favor. Present nursery 
price about 75 cents per foot in hight. 
8. Stone Pine ( Pinus cembra). —This 
grows very slow, and to only a moderate 
size, say nine to twelve feet in hight, with a 
tine globular head composed of a dense mass 
of dark green foliage. It is a beautiful and 
attractive tree. Present nursery price 80 
cents to $1 per foot of hight. 
The Deodar Cedar was until recently con¬ 
sidered one of the most beautiful and grace¬ 
ful of evergreens, but in this latitude the 
past two Winters have proved decidedly in¬ 
jurious to it. We have this Spring exam¬ 
ined a large number of trees, and found them 
almost entirely stripped of foliage. At the 
South it will probably do well. 
EVERGREEN SHRUBS. 
We have given in a preceding article, a 
list of the best evergreen trees. The ever¬ 
green shrubs are very desirable, not only to 
mingle with the taller growing trees, but 
also to plant in small plots, especially where 
there is not room enough for those of larger 
size. We name those most desirable first. 
1. Rhodendrom Calawbiense. —This “tree 
of roses,” as its name implies, is one of the 
most beautiful shrubs now grown. It is a 
complete evergreen, with somewhat glossy 
leaves of a thick texture, and bears large 
clusters of while, lilac, and crimson flowers, 
“ each large enough for a lady’s bouquet.” 
Ours have been entirely unprotected through 
the Winter, and they now give promise of 
abundant bloom during this month. They 
were set out from the nursery May 10th last 
year, and produced several clusters of fine 
flowers in June. The plants are raised from 
the seed, but require several years to attain 
even a foot in hight, so that it is advisable to 
procure them from the nurserymen who im¬ 
port the plants from abroad. Blooming 
plants, one to one and a half feet high, can 
now be obtained for 50 cents each, or 75 
cents to $1 for those of large size and spe¬ 
cial beauty of form and flower. A Western 
subscriber writes us that “ upon our recom¬ 
mendation last Spring he procured half a 
dozen plants of Messrs. Parsons & Co., 
Flushing, N. Y., and he would not now part 
with them for the cost of the Agriculturist 
twenty-five years.” 
2. Siberian Arbor Vitae ( Thuja Siberica ).— 
One of the best lawn plants. It grows very 
symmetrical. Price about 75 cents. The 
American Arbor Vitae is also a valuable 
shrub, but has a less compact and beautiful 
head. 
3. The Cryptomeria Japonica is worthy 
of a plabe on the lawn or grass-plot, as it is 
a beautiful and graceful plant. It proves to 
be less hardy than the first two, and does not 
endure our climate well. It does best on a 
good soil, with a dry bottom. Present price 
about $2. 
4. Golden Arbor Vitae ( Thuja aureu). —A 
superb plant, deserving the most conspicu¬ 
ous place upon the lawn. In habit it is a 
dwarf, forming a smooth symmetrical cone. 
It was, however, somewhat injured with us 
last Winter. Price about $ 1 . 
5. Small-leaved Cotoneaster ( Cotoneasler 
mycrophilla). —A low growing, spreading 
shrub, bearing bright coral berries; very 
pretty upon a lawn. Price of this, and num¬ 
bers 6, 7 and 9, about 50 cents each. 
6. Tree Box ( Buxus arborescens). —A neat 
shrub, valuable for its lively green, dense 
foliage and compact habit; a pretty object 
as a solitary specimen. 
7. Japan Euonymus ( Euonymus Japonica). 
—A desirable shrub, which will grow well 
in any ordinary soil, but proved rather 
tender with us during the last two severe 
Winters. 
Broad-leaved Laurel ( Kalmia lati/olia ).— 
One of the finest native shrubs ; lively green 
foliage ; flowers plentifully. Price about 75 
cents. 
9. Fiery Thorn (C 'ratcegus pyracantha ).— 
A showy, ornamental shrub, worthy a place 
in every collection. 
Two other beautiful shrubs we should be 
glad to recommend, but they have not proved 
hardy, especially during the past Winter ; 
we refer to the English Yew (Taxus baccata), 
and the Redwood ( Taxodium sempervirens). 
A small sum expended in procuring apart 
or the whole of the above, or several speci¬ 
mens of each, with a very little labor in set¬ 
ting and taking care of them, will do much 
to adorn and beautify the rural home in Win¬ 
ter as well as Summer. They are obtain¬ 
able at most of the large nurseries, and bear 
transportation even to a long distance. 
RURAL ART ASSOCIATIONS. 
In a certain town within the circle of our 
acquaintance, a society of gentlemen has 
been formed, with the name of “ Rural Art 
Association,” whose object is the promotion 
of horticultural knowledge and taste among 
its members, and the improvement of the 
town in rural embellishment. Monthly meet¬ 
ings are held at each others houses in rota¬ 
tion. The order of exercises is somewhat 
as follows: The first hour is devoted to 
supper and miscellaneous conversation; 
then, half an hour to the reading of an Essay 
by some member designated at the previous 
meeting : the remainder of the evening is 
occupied in a familiar discussion of some 
practical subject. This discussion is opened 
by some member appointed at the last meet¬ 
ing. He is allowed to speak twenty minutes. 
After his remarks, the Chairman calls upon 
all the other members by name, to express 
their views on the subject before the meet¬ 
ing, no one, however, being allowed to talk 
more than five minutes, except by special 
permission. Meanwhile, the Secretary is 
busy taking notes of the debate, for publica¬ 
tion in the village newspaper. In this way, 
the benefit of these meetings is not confined 
to the members of the association, but in¬ 
ures also to the whole town. 
In addition to this, each gentleman of the 
Society is required to pay five dollars annu¬ 
ally, as a condition of membership. This 
furnishes a small fund, which is used in 
planting trees by the roadside in various 
parts of the town. The Committee having 
charge of the tree planting, endeavor to in¬ 
duce all landholders to set trees themselves 
against their own premises; but where this 
cannot be done, they use the funds of the 
Society for that purpose. In this way, the 
streets of the town are becoming greatly im¬ 
proved. Last year, upwards of one hundred 
and fifty trees were planted by the Associa¬ 
tion, and this year, as many more will be 
added to them. 
We commend these facts to the notice of 
our readers. Individual effort will often ac¬ 
complish much toward the rural embellish¬ 
ing of a neighborhood. But it cannot do 
everything, it cannot compass a whole town, 
plant trees by the mile, and adorn parks by 
the acre. Societies like the above, combin¬ 
ing the judgment, taste and means of a num¬ 
ber of respectable citizens, will generally ac¬ 
complish important results. Their influence 
on the members themselves must be exceed¬ 
ingly happy, and the towns where they are 
organized have reason to be thankful for 
their labors and their influence. 
PLANT EVERGREENS THIS MONTH 
Evergreen trees and shrubs may be planted 
at almost all seasons, but w r e decidedly pre¬ 
fer Ihe middle of May in this latitude, and 
indeed anywhere north of Virginia. Further 
south, they may be transplanted a little 
earlier. As a general rule, the best time is 
when the soil has become settled and some¬ 
what 'warmed, and before the dry season ; 
or when the young buds are just pushing 
forth into a new growth. 
In another article we have described some 
of the best kinds. No manure is required 
for evergreens. A good loam is the most 
appropriate. If a heavy clay or light sand, 
it is always better to dig out a space three 
to five feet in diameter, according to the size 
of the tree to be grown, and fill in good soil 
at least one foot, or, better, two feet in depth. 
In planting these, or, indeed, any kind of 
trees, great care should be taken to loosen 
the soil well, and have the holes so large 
that the roots shall not be cramped in the 
least, and also provide good soil for their 
extension. A little care of this kind will pay 
well both in the more rapid growth, and 
in the longer life of the tree. 
DWARF PEARS AND GRAPES. 
The subject of dwarf pears is now being 
thoroughly discussed in all the leading agri¬ 
cultural journals of the day. Some tenor 
twelve years ago, the most glowing accounts 
were sent over to this country of the suc¬ 
cess of Mr. Rivers, in England, and of sev- 
eral French pomologists, with dwarf pears, 
which awakened great zeal among the fruit 
growers on this side of the water. The old 
adage, 
“ Whoso plants pears, 
Plants for his heirs ” 
was ridiculed as old fogyism. Fruit may 
now be had in three years from the bud—at 
least a little ! The trees should not be over¬ 
cropped when young! During the past ten 
years multitudes of trees have been planted, 
